The lesser evil?

The ethics of research animals

Mickey Gjerris, Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen

Using animals in research and within the world of medicine has been a controversial subject for many years. Is it justifiable to sacrifice other living creatures to gain a better understanding of the world and alleviate and cure human diseases? Most will probably answer ”yes” to these questions, but at the same find that there are limits to how far we can go. The debate on research animals is an ethical debate that raises questions such as: What is animal welfare? Should you kill animals? What is the right relation between humans and animals? How to fulfill "the 3R´s”?

The workshop will begin with a talk that situates the debate on research animals in an ethical context and illuminates the ethical conflicts and dilemmas integral to the use of animals in research. Afterwards the participants will be challenged to reflect on some examples of how animals are used in research and discuss them on the basis of their own experiences. Finally the participants will be challenged to consider whether including concepts such as 'tragedy' and 'guilt' and 'remembrance' in the debate could lead to changes in the way animals are used: What would happen, if we did not ask ”How to be good?”, but rather ”What guilt would we rather carry”?

Mickey Gjerris (1969) is an Associate Professor in Bioethics at the Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen. He holds a master of Theology and a Ph.D. in Bioethics. Since 2004 he has worked at natural scientific institutions with different aspects of the ethical relationship between humans and nature, focusing on areas such as animals, agriculture, biotechnology, climate change and ecology. He has published extensively on these subjects and put out several books on the subjects of ethics and nature. In October 2017 he, together with two colleagues, publishes “Animal ethics in animal research” at Cambridge University Press.

When:

Friday 22 September 2017.

Where:

SCANBUR A/S, Silovej 16-18, 2690 Karlslunde.

Price:

EUR 295 (includes lunch & coffee).

Language:

English or Danish depending on participants' preference.

Registration:

Registration is binding 1 month prior to course taking place (i.e. 22 August 2017). No refunds after this date. In case we do not receive enough registrations to compile a fully booked course, the course will be cancelled. This will be announced at least 1 month prior to the course taking place (i.e. 22 August 2017).

At SCANBUR we are specialists in Equipment and Consumables for animal research and we have a dedicated department concentrating on Animal Research Models and Services. This website concentrates on all products you will need, in order to provide the best and most reliable research results while focusing on animal welfare at the same time. Do you wish to take a closer look at our selection of Animal Research Models, please click here